Excel Esports has added top laner Felix “Kryze” Hellström to its League of Legends roster, the organization announced today. The team decided to make some big adjustments to its starting lineup after a seventh-place finish in the 2020 LEC Spring Split
Last month, Excel announced its plans to find a new top and mid laner for the summer after concluding that “a change [was] necessary” to reach the playoffs. Excel’s roster had improved a bit with the additions of AD carry Patrik and support Tore, but they still lacked the firepower to keep up with the rest of the LEC.
From fiery, rookie squads to recognizable powerhouses, Excel couldn’t stand against the new wave of talent that flooded the league—they only won seven games last split. In response, Excel’s head coach YoungBuck made the decision to drop both Expect and Mickey.
Yesterday, Joran “Special” Scheffer was promoted from Excel’s Academy squad to the starting roster. And now, Kryze is set to make his LEC debut next month. The young top laner has spent most of his career in various European Regional Leagues and last played for the Academy team of Unicorns of Love.
Based on what League fans have seen from the latest European rookies to join the LEC, we shouldn’t be surprised if Kryze and Special have breakout seasons. YoungBuck praised the young top laner for his diverse champion pool and great laning abilities, which could translate into more success for Excel in the long run. YoungBuck didn’t deliver the last split with the new Excel line-up, but he did say that he is in for the long run and needs time to develop young talent. The former Fnatic Coach has great accomplishments under his belt so it’s good to have faith in him.
The Excel line-up last split did well but were unable to have any real success, it’s going to be interesting to see the new players face off against the veterans of the League and how will they be able to match G2 Esports and Fnatic. Stay tuned for more roster swaps information in the upcoming weeks as more teams are looking to upgrade their roster coming into the Summer Split. If you are looking for some games, then worry not the replacement MSI tournament is underway soon.
Tune in to see if Kryze and the rest of Excel can rise to the occasion when the 2020 LEC Summer Split kicks off on June 12.
